Klarinet Archive - Posting 000652.txt from 2001/11

From: "Mark Charette" <charette@-----.org>
Subj: RE: [kl] Thanksgiving Music
Date: Sat, 24 Nov 2001 22:52:07 -0500

Of course we all believe that the Star Spangled Banner's words were written
by Francis Scott Key and put to the music of an old English song, "To
Anacreon in Heaven" ( http://www.bcpl.net/~etowner/anacreon.html ), music by
John Stafford Smith and the original words by Ralph Tomlinson, Esq.

According to tradition it was first "sung at the Crown Anchor Tavern in the
Strand, circa 1780." Tomlinson was president of the Anacreontic Society, a
gentlemen's club popular with upscale London boozers. Anacreon (563-478
B.C.) was a Greek poet known for his songs of wine and women.

Mark C.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Bill Hausmann [mailto:bhausmann1@-----.com]>
>
> At 09:48 AM 11/23/2001 +0000, Tony Wakefield wrote:
> >I was a bit nervous, not having experienced this celebration before,
> >but everyone was appreciative with the 100% American music which I
> >provided - all except one item, which upon reading some history about
> >American music, came my discovery that the 'unofficial' National Anthem -
> >'The Star Bangled Banner' was written by John Stafford Smith, an English
> >man.
>
> I don't know where you got the idea it was "unofficial." It is very much
> the OFFICIAL US National Anthem!
>

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